Fresh air and exhaust control mechanism for air conditioning apparatus



g- 28, 1956 D. KUHLENSCHMIDT ETAL 2,760,353

FRESH AIR AND EXHAUST CONTROL MECHANISM FOR AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS 7 Filed March 30, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet l D. C. Vssezer Aug. 28, 1956 D. KUHLENSCHMIDT ETAL 2,760,353

FRESH AIR AND EXHAUST CONTROL MECHANISM FOR AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 30, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Eca 'EVA cw: 770 cycL E g- 1956 D. KUHLENSCHMIDT EIAL 2,760,353

FRESH AIR AND EXHAUST CONTROL :vnacmmusmv FOR AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 30, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Tim W W? United S 3 S l m FRESH AIR AND EXHAUST CONTROL MECH ANISM FOR AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Donald Kuhlenschmidt, Newburgh, and D. c. Vasseur, Evansville, Ind., assig'nors, by me'sne assignments, to Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application March 30, 1954, Serial No. 419,863

7 Claims. c1. 62129) This invention relates to window mounted air conditioning units but is more specifically directed to the air flow control mechanisms generally associated with such units.

It is presently the practice in units of this character to provide for the control of air flow therewithin by means of dampers selectively operable over openings which, when unrestricted, admit fresh air from the outside atmosphere into the room being cooled or exhaust stale air therefrom, and which, further, may be positioned so as to provide for maximum cooling by recirculation of the air within the room. Mechanisms of this character are generally operated through a plurality of controls but most of the mechanisms presently available for such purposes are too complicated to be easily operated by the individual user in a manner such as will produce the most effective results from the air conditioning apparatus. V

It is a principal object of this invention, therefore, to provide an air conditioning unit having simplified, effective and inexpensive air flow control means incorporated therein.

Another object is to provide a simple and coordinated mechanism operable from a common control for regulating the flow of air through an air conditioning unit.

A further object is to provide an air conditioning unit wherein the mechanisms for regulating the admission of fresh air and for regulating the evacuation of stale air are operable from a common control element.

A still further object is to provide an air conditioning unit wherein a damper for controlling the evacuation of stale air is connected by lost-motion linkage to a rotatable element that is additionally connected by lost-motion linkage with a damper for controlling the admission of fresh air into the unit.

A yet still further object is to provide air flow control means for an air conditioning unit wherein the means includes an exhaust damper and a fresh air damper selectively and independently operable by a common control element whereby either damper may be operated without disturbing the remaining damper.

Another important object is to provide an air conditioning unit wherein an exhaust damper is operable for directing room air either to the outside atmosphere or through the unit for recirculation back into the room.

A further important object is to provide an air conditioning unit having independent exhaust and fresh air intake means which are individually operable from a common control element.

Other objects and advantages will be understood and will become more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially cut away to better show the components thereof, of a window type air conditioning unit embodying the present invention and showing the air flow control mechanism in position for directing fresh air, admitted from outside atmosphere, into the air stream from the room being cooled.

Fig. 2 is a skeletonized perspective of the air flow con- Patented Aug. 28, 1955 ice 2 trol mechanism of the present invention with said mechanism being shown in position for recirculating room air so as to obtain maximum cooling in the room being cooled.

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 but showing the air flow control mechanism in position to exhaust stale air from the room being cooled.

Pig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. l, but with the controls in position for recirculation as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows, in enlarged detail, the clevis clip fastener use for loosely but fixedly positioning ends of the damper control rods.

Fig. 6' is a top plan view of the portion of the unit depicted in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a portion of the control rod taken on line 77 of Fig. 4.

In order to illustrate one application of the present invention thereis depicted in the drawings herein a preferred embodiment which shows the arrangement incorporated in a self-contained air conditioning unit of the type most generally adapted for mounting in the window of a space or room to be cooled. It should be appreciated, however, that the present invention is not limited to the specific application selected for illustration but is equally applicable, by those skilled in the art, to other types of air conditioning units without deviating from the particular inventive concepts thereof.

In the embodiment selected for illustrating the present invention there is shown a self-contained air conditioning unit, indicated generally by the reference numeral 16, which includes an. inner cabinet or cooling compartment portion that is adapted to extend into the room being cooled, and an outer cabinet or apparatus compartment portion that is intended to extend beyond the room and into theoutside atmosphere. A wall member 11 having a layer of heat insulating material 12 thereon is positioned to function as a dividing or common wall between the two portions, while a base or frame 13, fashioned with a floor member 14 having upwardly flanged peripherally extending marginal edges 15, supports the components of the two cabinet portions and additionally may function as part of the mounting stmcture for positioning the unit in a Window frame.

Anopen bottomed casing or housing 16 fits over the base 13 and cooperates therewith and with the dividing Wall 11 to divide the unit into an inner or low side cooling compartment 17 and an outer or high side apparatus compartment 18. Positioned within the inner compartment is a shrouded evaporator 19, an air filter element 20, and an evaporator fan 21 adapted to extend partially into said evaporator shroud, while the outer compartment includes a motor-compressor 22', a shrouded condenser 23, a fan motor 24, and a condenser fan 25 which is disposed so as to extend partially into said condenser shroud. The fan motor 24 is preferably provided with a double-ended shaft 26' so that the one motor may serve to drive both fans by direct connection. .As is well understood the evaporator, compressor, and condenser units are interconnected with refrigerant-carrying conduits, which for drawing simplification purposes have not been. shown, and the system is, of course, filled with suitable refrigerant in accordance with standard practices in the industry.

The casing 16, preferably, is dimensioned somewhat larger than the b'ase 13 so that when positioned thereover there will be fashioned a plenum-like exhaust chamber 27 disposed between the evaporator 19 and the front or inner wall 28 of said casing. The bottom of this chamber may be suitably sealed-01f by covering with a floor or bottom wall, such as the panel member 29, and said floor may be fixedly positioned therewithin by conventional means.

Louvered opening-s 30 in the side walls of the exteriorly projecting portion of the casing or housing 16 admit outside air into the outer apparatus or high side compartment for circulation therearound by the fan 25. after which it is discharged through the condenser 23 and back into the outside atmosphere by Way of an opening (not shown) in the rear or outward Wall of the said casing. Louvered openings 31 in the side walls of the interiorly projecting portion of said casing admit room air into the inner cooling or low side compartment 17 where it is directed by the evaporator fan 21 through the evaporator 19 and into the plenum chamber 27 from whence it is discharged, by way of louvered openings 32 in the top of said casing, back into the room being cooled.

Now in accordance with the more specific teachings of the present invention there are provided two air passage openings in the common dividing wall or partition and these openings are covered with dampers selectively operable for regulating or controlling air flow through the air conditioning unit. A fresh-air opening 33 in the lower right-hand portion of the partition wall 11 opens into an air duct or corridor-like passageway 34 that, in turn, opens to the outside atmosphere by Way of an opening 35 in the base 13 of said unit. The duct or passageway 34, which is formed by a shell-like casing 36 having one side and the bottom thereof open, is dimensioned to overlie the opening 35 in said base and to extend upwardly far enough to act as a mounting support for the fan motor 24, and said shell may be attached to the units base and dividing wall by any suitable conventional means. The opening 35 in the base may, if desired, be covered with a fine-mesh wire screen such as 36a, while the opening 33 in said dividing wall is covered with a horizontally opening fresh-air damper 37 that is hingedly mounted by suitable vertically disposed spring-biased hinges 38 (Fig. 6) which are biased to maintain said damper normally closed.

A second or exhaust opening 39, disposed proximate the upper left-hand corner portion of said partition or dividing wall and opening into the outer or apparatus compartment, provides an opening through which stale air from the room may be exhausted to the outside atmosphere by way of said outer compartment. This latter opening in the dividing wall is surmounted by an inclined wall canopy-like enclosure or wall passageway 40 which opens into louvered openings 41 disposed in the portion of the units housing top that extends into the room. An inclined baflie-like wall 42 of the inverted canopy or shell is disposed to project angularly outwardly from the dividing wall 11 and is provided with an opening 43 of substantially the same dimensions as that of the opening 39 in said dividing wall. Outwardly extending flanges, such as indicated at 44, may also be provided to cooperate with conventional securing means for aifixing said canopy or vestibule-like passage to the dividing wall in such position that the openings 39 and 43 will be in substantial alignment with, but spaced from, one another. An exhaust damper member 45, pivotally mounted by means of spring-biased hinges 46, is disposed so as to be positionable over the opening 39 in the dividing wall 11, or over the opening 43 in the inclined baffle wall 42, and said hinges are biased to normally maintain the damper in a closed position over the partition or dividing wall opening. This damper thus is pivotable about said hinges to close either the opening 39 in the dividing Wall or the opening 43 in the inclined bafile-like Wall 42 of said canopy and, of course, when one of these two openings is closed the other will be open. With the damper thus rotatably arranged room air, admitted through the louvered inlet openings 41 in the top of the units housing, may be discharged to the outside atmosphere by Way of the opening 39, or directed by way of opening 43 into the upstream side of the evaporator fan for passage through the unit for cooling and recirculation back into the room.

In the present invention even though the dampers 37 and 45 are operatively interconnected it is contemplated they will be independently and selectively operable by motivation of a common control element. To accomplish this objective there is provided a control rod 47 pivotally mounted, proximate opposite ends thereof, in bracket-like supports 48 and 49 that, in turn, are afiixed by suitable conventional securing means to the dividing wall 11. One end of said control rod is equipped with an indicator-like manually operable control knob 50, while the opposite end portion of the rod has fixedly secured thereto a crank arm 51 which is rotatable therewith. Inwardly spaced from the free end of said crank arm there is pivotally connected one end of a traverse rod 52 whose opposite end is pivotally connected to one end of a bell crank 53 and retained thusly by suitable means such as the clevis clip 54. The bell crank 53 is pivotally mounted on a support bracket 55, in turn, mounted by conventional means on the dividing wall 11, while the opposite end of said bell crank has pivotally affixed thereto one end of a second traverse rod 56 which end may be retained by a suitable clevis clip 57. The opposite end of said second traverse rod is slidably positioned through one arm of an angle bracket 58 while another arm of the bracket is aflixed by suitable conventional means to the damper panel member 45. A conical compression spring 59, circumscribing the rod 56, abuts the angle bracket 58 while a Washer-like fiat ring or collar member 60 afiixed to said second traverse rod abuts the opposite end of said spring and serves to help compress the spring against said angle bracket. A transversely disposed retainer, which may be in the form of a conventional cotter pin 61 positioned through said latter traverse rod proximate the end thereof and spaced from the collar 60, serves to retain said rod slidably positioned through the angle bracket 58 andadditionally serves to engage said collar and compress the spring 59 without disturbing or opening the associated exhaust damper 45 after a certain amount of axial travel of rod 56 resulting from rotation of the control rod 47 is one direction.

Inwardly spaced from the lower end of the control rod 47 there is positioned a sector-shaped crank member 62 having an arcuately extending slot 63 disposed proximate the outer or peripheral edge thereof. The crank sector 62 is fixedly secured to said control rod and adapted for rotation therewith in a plane normal to-that of the rods axes of rotation. Slidably positioned in the slot 63 of said crank sector and adapted for movement therealong is one end of a traverse rod 64 whose opposite end is pivotally mounted in the elongated arm 65 of an angle bracket 66 that, in turn, is suitably afiixed to the fresh air damper 37.

A resilient member, preferably in the form of a fiat leaf spring 67, is positioned so that the opposite ends thereof rest in notches 68 and 69, respectively, in the control rod support bracket 48, while the central section of the spring frictionally engages the control rod 47. A plurality of flat spots, such as shown at 70, 70a and 70b on said control rod are disposed to engage said spring upon rotation of the rod 47 and may provide means for indexing the different positions thereof as it rotates to operate the dampers.

In operation the unit is normaly utilized on the cooling or recirculation cycle during which time air from the room being cooled is continuously recirculated and passed through the unit thus permitting heat picked up from the room to be removed before said air flows back agair into the room. During this cycle of operation the control rod 47 is in what may be termed a first or neutral position and the dampers 37 and 45, respectively, are positioned to prevent the ingress of outside atmosphere and to avoid exhausting any room air to the outside. In this position, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, the control knob 50 and rod 47 are in a first or neutral position and the crank sector 62 is in its midposition with the traverse rod 64 resting at the right end of the slot 63 therein and the. damper 37 is urged closed by the action of the spring hinges 38 thereon, At the same" time the} crank arm 51 is in its neutral position and the retainer pin 61' of the traverse rod 56' is spaced from its associated' abutment ring or collar member 60 while thespring hinges 38 are free to bias the damper 37 to a closed position over the dividing wall opening 39. With the dampers thus positioned room air admitted-to the unit through louvered openings 31- and 41 and into the-up: stream side of the evaporator fan 21 is forced by said fan through the evaporator 19' and into the plenum chamber 27 from whence it is passed by way of the louvered outlet 32 back into the room at a lower temperature.

In the ventilating cycle fresh or make-up air is admitted to the unit and mixed with the room air being recirculated therethrough; In this second or ventilating position, wherein the dampers are positioned as illustrated in Fig. l, the control knob 50 and rod 47 'have been rotated counter-clockwise from the neutral or mid-position, thus causing the crank sector 62 to force the traverse rod 64 to the left and thereby push open the ventilation damper 37 against the restraining influence of its spring hinges 38. With this damper open outside air'flows in through the opening 35 in the base 13, through the opening 33 in the dividing wall 11 and into the cooling compartment where it mingles and mixes with the room air being recirculated through the unit. As the control rod 47 is rotated counterclockwise the crank arm 51 is also rotated and the traverse rod 56 connected thereto rotates the bell crank 53 ina clockwise direction about the support 55- and pulls the retainer pin 61, in the traverse rod 64, down against the collar member 60 and may even cause a slight compressing of the spring 59 without opening or disturbing the exhaust damper 45- from its position over the opening 39. In this manner fresh air is admitted and passed through the unit and into the room without being subjected to accidental bypassing into the exhaust opening and back into the atmosphere.

In the evacuating or exhausting cycle stale air is removed fromthe room and dischargedinto the outer compartment, by way of the exhaust opening 39 in the dividing wall 11, from whence it is subsequently passed into the outside atmosphere. In this third or exhaust position, which is best illustrated in Fig. 3, the control knob 50 and rod 47 have been rotated clockwise from the central'or mid-position with crank sector 62 following and the traverse rod 64 riding freely in the arcuate slot 63 therein so as to permit the spring-biased hinges 38 to close the damper 37 over the ventilation opening 33' and prevent the further admission of outside air. As the control rod 47 rotates it likewise carries with it the crankarm 51 and the traverse rod 52 connected thereto, which latter rod upon movement to the right causes the bell crank 53 to rotate counterclockwise, about the support 55. After the slack or lost-motion is picked up the retainer pin 61 engages the collar 60 and compresses. the spring 59 and, when carried far enough, eventually rotates the damper 45 against the restraining action of its spring-hinges 46. When the exhaust damper 45 rotates it first uncovers the opening 39 in said dividing wall and subsequently covers the opening 43 in the inclined bafile wall 42 of the canopy or walled passageway 40, thereby permitting that portion of, room air that ordinarily passes into the unit by Way of the louvered openings: 41 to be passed into the opening 39 in said dividing Wall and discharged to the outer compartment. In this manner a portion of the room air is removed while the, ventilation damper is closed by recirculation of the nonevacuated portion of room air otherwise continues.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that formdescribed in detail, .it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the. appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a room air conditioning unit, the combination, comprising: a cabinet having a partition therein, and defining with said partition an outer apparatus compartment and an inner cooling compartment; said inner cooling compartment having an ai'r'outlet and a plurality of air inlets communicating with a room to be cooled; said outer apparatus compartment having an air inlet and an air outlet communicating with the outside atmosphere; said partition having a first opening therein communicating with the outer apparatus compartment and with the room to be cooled for exhausting air from the room, and a second opening therein communicating with the inner cooling compartment and with the outside atmosphere for admitting fresh air to the room; a canopy-like shield formed with an inclined Wall and defining an air passageway disposed within said inner cooling compartment connecting said first partition opening with one of the said air inlets from the room to the inner cooling compartment; said inclined canopy wall having'an opening therein communicating with said inner cooling compartment; a first damper member hingedly mounted and operative for positioning in one position closed over said first partition opening and in a second position closed over said inclined canopy Wall opening; a second damper pivotally mounted over the second opening in said partition; mechanism operatively connecting together said two damper members and arranged so that said damper members are selectively positionable by operation of a single control element to a first position with the two dampers closed over the partition openings, to a second position with the first damper closedover the first partition opening and the second damper open, and to a third position With the first damper closed over the canopy wall opening and the second damper closed over the second partition opening, whereby air in theroom is respectively recirculated, supplemented with fresh air from outside atmosphere, and exhausted to'the outer apparatus compartment.

2. In a room air conditioning unit, the combination, comprising: a cabinet having a partition therein, and defining with said partition an outer apparatus compartment and an inner cooling compartment; said inner cooling compartment having an air outlet and a plurality of air inlets communicating with a room to be cooled; said outer apparatus compartment having an air inlet and an air outlet communicating with the outside atmosphere; said partition having a first opening therein communicating with the outer apparatus compartment and with the room to be cooled for exhausting air from the room, and a second opening therein communicating with the inner coolingcompartment and With the outside atmosphere for admitting fresh air to the room; a canopy-like shell formed with an inclined wall and defining an air' passageway disposed within said inner cooling compartment for connecting said first partition opening with one of the said air inlets from the room to the inner cooling compartment; said inclined wall having an opening therein communicating with said inner cooling compartment; a first damper member hingedly mounted and operative for positioning in one position closed over said first partition opening and in a second position closed over said inclined Wall opening; a second damper pivotally mounted over the second opening in said partition; means for actuating said dampers including, a rotatable control member, and modon-transmitting mechanisms connecting said rotatable control member to both of said dampers for selective operation thereof; and having said mechanisms fashioned and arranged so that in one position of said rotatable control member said dampers are closed. over respective partition openings, and in a second position of said rotatable control member the first damper is closed over the inclined wall opening While the second damper is closed over the second partition opening, and in a third position of said rotatable member the first damper is closed over the first partition opening while the second damper is open over the second partition opening, whereby room air is, respectively, recirculated, exhausted to the outer apparatus compartment, and supplemented with fresh air from outside atmosphere.

3. A room air conditioning unit, comprising: a cooling element; means providing fiow of a stream of air from the room into the unit, in contact with said cooling element, and then from the unit into the room; the unit having an air inlet for admitting air from outdoors to said air stream, an outlet for exhausting air from said stream to the outdoors, and a plurality of inlets for admitting air from the room into contact with said cooling element; a first damper for controlling the exhaust outlet and one of the said air inlets from the room to the cooling element, and a second damper for controlling the outdoor air inlet; said first and second dampers being pivotally mounted and normally biased to closed positions over the exhaust outlet and the outdoor air inlet, respectively; means for actuating said dampers including, a rotatable control element, a first motion-transmitting mechanism connecting said control element to said first damper, and a second motiontransrnitting mechanism connecting said control element to said second damper; said first motion-transmitting mechanism including a traverse rod slidably connected to said first damper and having said connection so fashioned and arranged that when said control element rotates in one direction said traverse rod actuates said first damper and rotates it from a position normally closing the exhaust outlet to a position in which said latter outlet is open and the said one of the air inlets from the room to the cooling element is closed and a portion of the said stream of air is exhausted from the room to the outdoors, and when said control element rotates in another direction said traverse rod is free to slide in said connection Without disturbing said first damper from its normally closed position; said second motion-transmitting mechanism including, a sector-shaped crank member afiixed to said control element and fashioned with an arcuately extending slotted opening proximate the periphery thereof, and an actuating rod having one end thereof slidably mounted in said slotted opening with the opposite end of the said rod pivotally connected to said second damper and having said crank sector and actuating rod so arranged with respect to said control element that when said control element rotates in one direction said second damper is closed over the second partition opening and when said control element rotates in another direction said second damper is opened over said second partition opening to admit air from outdoors without disturbing the normally closed posittion of said first damper over said first partition opening,

4. In a room air conditioning unit, the combination, comprising: a cabinet having a base and a partition therein, and defining with said partition and base an outer apparatus compartment and an inner cooling cornpartment; a cooling element disposed within said inner cooling compartment; means providing flow of a stream of air from a room into the inner cooling compartment of the unit, in contact with said cooling element, and then from the unit into the room; said inner cooling compartment having an air outlet and a plurality of air inlets communicating with the room; said outer apparatus compartment having an air outlet and a plurality of air inlets communicating with the outside atmosphere, and having at least one .of said latter air inlets disposed in the base of the unit; said partition having a first opening therein communicating with the outer apparatus compartment and with a room for exhausting air therefrom, and a second opening therein communicating with the inner cooling compartment and with the opening in said base for admitting fresh air to the room; a walled air passageway disposed within said inner cooling compartment on the upstream side of the stream of air flowing therethrough and connecting said first partition opening with one of said inner cooling compartment air inlets;

said walled air passageway having an opening in the wall thereof communicating with the inner cooling compartment on the upstream side of the said stream of air so that room air admitted through the said one of said inner cooling compartment openings may be directed in one instance to the upstream side of said stream of air and in another instance to the outer apparatus compartment; a duct disposed in said outer apparatus compartment and defining an air passageway connecting said second partition opening with the said air inlet in the base thereof; a first damper operative for controlling the first partition opening and the opening in said walled passageway, and a second damper operative for controlling the second partition opening; said dampers being pivotally mounted and biased to normally closed positions over respective partition openings; means for actuating said dampers including, a rotatable control element, and separate mechanisms operat-ively connecting said control element to each of said dampers; said actuating means being fashioned and arranged so that said dampers are selectively positionable by operation of said control element to a first position with said dampers closing respective partition openings and causing room air to flow by way of the said inner cooling compartment ai-r inlets into the upstream side of said flow providing means for recirculation to the room, to a second position with the first damper closing the first partition opening and with the second damper open over the second partition opening so that fresh air is admitted to supplement said stream of air, and to a third position with the first damper closing the opening in the walled passageway and with the second damper closed over the second partition opening so that room air flowing into said inner cooling compartment through the air inlet connected to the walled passageway is exhausted to the outer apparatus compartment.

5. A room air conditioning unit, comprising: a cooling element; means providing fi-ow of a stream of air from the room into the unit, in contact with said cooling element, and then from the unit into the room; the unit having an air inlet for admitting air from outdoors to said air stream, an outlet for exhausting air from said stream to the outdoors, and a plurality of inlets for admitting air from the room into contact with said cooling element; a first damper for controlling the exhaust outlet and one only of the said air inlets from the room to the cooling element, and a second damper for controlling the outdoor air inlet; said first and second dampers being pivotally mounted and normally biased to closed positions over the exhaust 'outlet and outdoor air inlet, respectively; means for actuating said dampers including, a rotatable control element, and mechanism operatively connecting said control element to each of said dampers; said actuating means 'being fashioned and arranged so that said dampers are selectively positionable by operation of said control element to a first position with said dampers closing respective partition openings, to a second position with the first damper closed over the first partition opening and the second damper open over the second partition opening and to a third position with the first damper closing the one of the said air inlets from the room to the cooling element and the second damper closing the second partition opening, whereby the stream of air is, respectively, recirculated through the room and the unit, supplemented with fresh air from outdoors, and divided so that portions only thereof are exhausted to the outdoors which other portions are simultaneously recirculated through the unit.

6. In a self-contained air cooler adapted to be mounted in the window of a room to be cooled, the combination, comprising: a casing structure formed to provide an inner cooling compartment and an outer apparatus compartment and having a partition therebetween; said casing structure having an air outlet and a plurality of air inlets that connect said inner cooling compartment with the room; said partition having a first opening that communicates with the outer apparatus compartment for exhausting air from the room, and a second opening therein connecting the inner cooling compartment with outside atmosphere for admitting tresh air to the room; a Walled air passageway connecting said first partition opening with one of the said air inlets; said walled air passageway being disposed within said inner cooling compartment and having an opening in the wall thereof communicating with the inner cooling compartment so that room air admitted through the said one air inlet may be directed in one instance to the inner cooling compartment and in another instance to the outer apparatus compartment; a first damper for controlling the first partition opening and the opening in the Walled passageway, and a second damper for controlling the second partition opening; said dampers being pivotally mounted and biased to normally closed positions over their respective partition openings; means for actuating said dampers including, a rotatable control element, a first motion-transmitting mechanism 'operatively connecting said control element to said first damper, and a second motion-transmitting mechanism operatively connecting said control element to said second damper; said first motion-transmitting mechanism including, a crank arm atfixed to said control element, a first traverse rod having one end connected to said crank and having the opposite end connected to one arm of a bell crank, a second traverse rod having one end thereof connected to another arm of the bell crank and having the opposite end of said second traaverse rod slidably connected to said first damper with the slidable connection so fashioned and arranged that when said control element rotates in one direction said second traverse rod actuates said first damper and causes it to rotate from a position normally closing the first partition opening to a position closing the opening in said walled passageway whereby air is exhausted from the room to the outer apparatus compartment and when said control element rotates in another direction said second traverse rod is free to slide in the slidable connection without disturbing said first damper from a normally closed position over said first partition opening; and having said second motion-transmitting mechanism fashioned and arranged so that upon rotation of said control element in one direction said second damper is actuated to an open position over said second partition opening so as to admit air from the outside atmosphere without disturbing said first damper from a simultaneously normally closed position over the first partition opening.

7. A room air conditioning unit, comprising: a cooling element; means providing flow of a stream of air from the room into the unit, in contact with said cooling element, and then from the unit into the room; the unit having an air inlet for admitting air from outdoors to said air stream, an outlet for exhausting air from said stream to the outdoors, and a plurality of inlets for admitting air from the room into contact with said cooling element; a first damper for controlling the exhaust outlet and one only of the said air inlets from the room to the cooling element, and a second damper for controlling the outdoor air inlet; said first and second dampers being pivotally mounted and normally biased to closed positions over the exhaust outlet and the outdoor air inlet, respectively; means for actuating said dampers including, a rotatable control element, a first motion-transmitting mechanism connecting said control element to said first damper, and a second motion-transmitting mechanism connecting said control element to said second damper; said first motion-transmitting mechanism including a traverse rod slidably connected to said first damper and having said connection so fashioned and arranged that when said control element rotates in one direction said traverse rod actuatcs said first damper and rotates it from a position normally closing the exhaust outlet to a position in which said latter outlet is open and the said one of the air inlets from the room to the cooling element is closed and a portion only of the said stream of air is exhausted from the room to the outdoors, and when said control element rotates in another direction said traverse rod is free to slide in said connection without disturbing said first damper from its normally closed position; and having said second motion-transmitting mechanism fashioned and arranged so that upon rotation of said control element in one direction said second damper is actuated to an open position for admission of air from outdoors without disturbing said first damper from a simultaneously normally closed position over the exhaust outlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

